TALKS WITH YOUNG OBSKRVERS 319 



the most greedy of all fledgelings. It cries 

 "More," "More," incessantly. When its 

 foster parent is a small bird like "chippie" or 

 one of the warblers, one would think it would 

 swallow its parent when food is brought it. 

 I suppose a similar spectacle is witnessed in 

 England when the cuckoo is brought up by a 

 smaller bird, as is always the case. Sings the 

 fool in " Lear " : — 



" The hedge-sparrow fed the cuckoo so long, 

 Tliat it had its head bit off by its young." 



Last season I saw a cow-bunting fully grown 

 following a "chippie" sparrow about, clamoring 

 for food, and really looking large enough to bite 

 off and swallow the head of its parent, and ap- 

 parently hungry enough to do it. The " chip- 

 pie " was evidently trying to shake it ofif and 

 let it shift for itself, for it avoided it and flew 

 from point to point to escape it. Its life was 

 probably made wretched by the greedy monster 

 it had unwittingly reared. 



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